Gas Price

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sam231
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Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 5:25 pm
Location: Providence, RI

Gas Price

Post by sam231 »

We can all tiptoe about this one, but it would be instructive to hear comments about the effect on our hobby/sport from the rising cost of fuel.

I guess we ought to be glad being owners of older cars that can use 2-3 tanks of 85 octane at a time, but boy, it's getting expensive. Between the Ferrari, my Volvo and my wife's Passat I spent $125.00 on gas this past weekend. If the Ferrari were trailered by a big SUV it would have been double. It will be interesting to see if there is an effect on the number of cars coming to events, and also whether or not it cools the feeding frenzy over new models in this country. At least now I do not have to go to Europe to feel the pain!
'72 365 GTC/4 # 14953; ex-owner 330 GT 2+2 # 8025 :>(
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tyang
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Post by tyang »

Hi Sam,

Europeans have been dealing with high gas prices for a lot longer than we have, and they still drive classics. My daily commuter gets 30mpg, and it affords me the occasional drive in my gas hungry classics. Thankfully, my Sunbeam gets about 28mpg!

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
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sam231
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Post by sam231 »

Hi Tom,

My family moved to Providence to reduce my commute to work from 30-45 minutes to 5 minutes............then my wife takes a job @ Wheaton College and has a 45 min. commute! Don't figure. She gets good mileage , but the twin turbo Volvo sucks fuel around town like a, dare I say it, Ferrari!

Wonder if the 8.8-1 compression Ferrari can burn cooking oil...Back to the Future! ;>)
'72 365 GTC/4 # 14953; ex-owner 330 GT 2+2 # 8025 :>(
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Dr. Ian Levy
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Gas Price

Post by Dr. Ian Levy »

Hello from the UK
You guys have really got it tough.!!!
Here. Premium 4 star is £1.10 a litre & diesel is £1.25 litre at discount petrol retailers Between my Saab & my wife's Honda my fuel bill monthly is more than £300 Sterling
Sam, A single tankful in my Saab Cabrio costs about the $125 you mention for all your three car.
I am not selling my Ferrari but when I can get leaded petrol a tankful cost me upwards of £75 sterling
Regards
Ian L
Manchester
UK
1972 365 GTC4 s/n 15989
http://www.ferrari365gtc4.co.uk/
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sam231
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Post by sam231 »

Ouch!

Ian, I guess pretty soon we will all be in the same boat for a change.

Hope you and your family are well.

Sam
'72 365 GTC/4 # 14953; ex-owner 330 GT 2+2 # 8025 :>(
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davidoloan
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Post by davidoloan »

Yep, you Americans are lucky. I pay approx £120 a week / approx $235 per week for petrol. This is about $12000 a year for 25000 miles.

I think the current oil price is a speculative bubble driven by investment funds and it will come back down. That will benefit Americans straight away while we will be still have high prices due to our almost 200% !!! tax rate combining Fuel Duty and Value Added Tax.

Gordon Brown today blamed OPEC for restricting supply. But this is not the case. Supply is meeting demand. America and Europe are using less, developing countries are using more, but there is no shortage.
David,

1992 BMW M5 3.8
1994 Maserati Ghibli
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Dr. Ian Levy
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Gas Price

Post by Dr. Ian Levy »

Hi Sam
Thanks for your good wishes & the same to you & yours
I hope to make it over to the "Fall gathering" so maybe see you all soon-if I can afford the airline fuel surcherge: that is
Regards
Ian L
1972 365 GTC4 s/n 15989
http://www.ferrari365gtc4.co.uk/
xs10shl
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Post by xs10shl »

My guess is that the impact will be almost zero, except for the rare individual who uses his car daily for long commutes.

I am however quite concerned about repeated attempts by legislators to require smog checks for all vehicles - that would put a crimp in the hobby for sure.
steve lapp
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Location: Ontario, Canada

fuel usage

Post by steve lapp »

I have wondered what it would take to run a vintage v12 on 100%ethanol, it might be expensive, but maybe not much different than today's gasoline prices, and ethanol could arguably be said to have a much lower carbon foorprint (yes, food to fuel, tractors and all that to be accounted for). I assume all carburetor gaskets and float valve components would have to be ethanol tolerant, what about compression ratio and timing, anyone know details?
Steve Lapp
Ontario Canada
2013 Nissan Leaf, 2002 Prius, 56 Healey 100-4, 74 BMW 2002, 330 GT 2+2 s/n 6241, 54 Dodge M152 (listed by decreasing fuel economy)
airsanford
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Post by airsanford »

ethanol is crap. Only 60% of the BTU content of gasoline, 1.5 BTU of energy (fossil fuel) in to produce 1 BTU of energy out. Another stupid political boondoggle made possible by a 51 cent/gal subsidy by the criminals in DC against a 54 cent/gal tariff on imports from Brazil.

Lee GTE 2811
Rudy van Daalen Wetters
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Post by Rudy van Daalen Wetters »

Give me back the days when you could pull into a Texaco
station and get leaded 105 Octane Fuel for cheap. Back then
the tail pipes had a beautiful light grey color and the engine sang
in sweet harmony. Ok, it may have been deadlier but today's prices
are having the same effect on me.

Rudy van Daalen Wetters
1963 GTE s/n 4001
1966 330 GT s/n 8705
whturner
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Re: fuel usage

Post by whturner »

steve lapp wrote:I have wondered what it would take to run a vintage v12 on 100%ethanol, it might be expensive, but maybe not much different than today's gasoline prices, and ethanol could arguably be said to have a much lower carbon foorprint (yes, food to fuel, tractors and all that to be accounted for). I assume all carburetor gaskets and float valve components would have to be ethanol tolerant, what about compression ratio and timing, anyone know details?

Hi Steve:

If you research the early hot-rod literature you will find a wealth of Information on burning alcohol, usually methanol, but sometime ethanol. Basically, you have to rejet your carbs for almost a 2X fuel flow, to make up for the lower BTU content. The effective octane rating is better than gas so you can boost your timeing a bit. But there will be starting problems, so nobody in the old days ran alcohol in street machines.
And since your gas mileage will be almost 1/2 of your gasoline mileage, you won't save money.

Cheers
Warren
330 GT Series II sn 10069
Koll
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Post by Koll »

davidoloan wrote:
Gordon Brown today blamed OPEC for restricting supply. But this is not the case. Supply is meeting demand. America and Europe are using less, developing countries are using more, but there is no shortage.
Your situation is outrageous. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Britian (& Norway) a net exporter of oil as a result of the North Sea fields? But, oil is the ultimate fungable commodity. I agree about the speculation bubble. Oil went from $90 to $130 in a little over a month - however none of the fundamentals changed.
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Dr. Ian Levy
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Gas Price

Post by Dr. Ian Levy »

Koll
You are correct & the UK is a net exporter of oil & the start-up of six new fields inc the huge Buzzard field have resulted in a production increase of about 3% over the last year
The UK also exports more oil than it uses domestically so why are the massive increase continuing??
I agree that the situation is outrageous but as long as the UK government needs to fund indiscriminate spending; the motorist is an easy source of revenue
Regards
Ian
1972 365 GTC4 s/n 15989
http://www.ferrari365gtc4.co.uk/
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davidoloan
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Re: Gas Price

Post by davidoloan »

Dr. Ian Levy wrote: I agree that the situation is outrageous but as long as the UK government needs to fund indiscriminate spending; the motorist is an easy source of revenue
Regards
Ian
Hi Dr. Ian,
You are being too cynical. The motoring taxes are to encourage us to use our cars in an environmentally friendly way, and as soon as industry / science comes up with a clean way to make hydrogen or electricity, the approx £50 billion motoring taxes will be abolished immediately. :wink:
David,

1992 BMW M5 3.8
1994 Maserati Ghibli
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